New Member looking for information and advice

[Tom]

In a nutshell: obsession beats talent every day after the first.

True. Look at me. I am obsessed but my talant is weak. I have to work really hard to get these tunes that I post. I have played over 10 years and am at a level many people reach in less than 2. Just the truth. I judge this based on other skills I have learned. We all learn different skills at different speeds, even the same person learning different skills. I desire to play competently 4 hours of music that I like by May. You may desire to play 1 tune on your accordion to please yourself and your friends. Whatever it is, go for it!!!!! One million times better for your soul than doom scrolling.

 

[saundersbp]

Oh don't get started on one of my patented "musical talent is largely a myth and the appearance of such supposed 'talent' is really the result of lots of behind-the-scenes hard work and perseverance" soapbox speeches!

In a nutshell: obsession beats talent every day after the first.

I agree, bit of both helps of course. The people I know playing accordion at the top level are regularly doing 6-10 hours practice per day. Totally impossible if you have a full time job doing something else of course!

When I was playing services every day in English Cathedrals as an organist I was doing at least four hours a day - impossible to learn the vast repertoire and play the right notes without it!

 

[Dingo40]

In a nutshell: obsession beats talent every day after the first.

I have sometimes felt that with successful painters (artists) the single most important quality is the drive to produce a sufficiently large number of works to become commercially viable in the market : all else is secondary!
Has anyone seen the film "The Rebel"?
It's worth a watch!
See here:

the rebel - Google Search

 

[JKJ]

Unfortunately, I have zero musical talent.

An excellent read is

Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else​

by Geoff Colvin

I think the book is worth reading but the bottom line is the important thing is the time invested. I’ll add my opinion that a good instructor is important to keep the progress moving in the right direction.

 

[Ffingers]

Without Talent, all dedication and effort are futile - and vice versa.

 

[dak]

Without Talent, all dedication and effort are futile - and vice versa.

Well, my accordion play is not going to land me a sold-out Carnegie Hall performance like her singing did Florence Foster Jenkins. I don't have her dedication.

 

[Carroll Dexter]

I just got my pictures together ready to post my accordion for sale and realized I still need 4 more posts before I can list anything in the for sale section (3 after this one).

 

[Carroll Dexter]

Here are my new photos. Sorry, the lighting wasn't great because it was raining yesterday. I don't know anything about accordions so if I missed taking pictures of an important area, please let me know. I tried to get clear pictures of everything I could.

 

[Carroll Dexter]

Also, if there is anything I can do to check the functionality of my accordion by myself, short of finding an accordion player to play it (I'm working on that too), please let me know. My father-in-law bought it a few years ago from a friend of his to give to my kids so they could learn to play (but that never happened). I am sure it works fine unless there is something that might go out on it by sitting in its case for a couple years. It makes nice loud accordion sounds when I open and close it but it is all noise to me since I don't know how to play.

 

[JerryPH]

Yes, you can do the basics. On the right hand select the first registration (Bassoon), then while wearing the accordion, press each note while pushing and pulling and note if the notes play and sound the same. You then do the 3rd register (clarinet, because the middle register is a combination of the top and bottom registers together), and do the same thing.

On the left hand, repeat the process, which will take longer as there are a lot more buttons. In this case don't worry as much about the tune as listening for missing tones. This is going to be difficult for most beginners as the difference between a 3 note chord and 4 note chord will be difficult.

Note any locations where notes are missing or tones from the right hand do not match when pulling/pushing.

That will take a good amount of time, and now what you can also do is when this is done, remove the bellows pins and open the accordion. Take clear pictures of the reeds to see which reeds require valve replacement and to show the condition of the reeds. Do this for both the left and right hand sides (bass and treble sides). Be careful to note what pin came from what hole and to replace them back in their original locations.

That should take you a couple hours.

 

[dak]

That will take a good amount of time, and now what you can also do is when this is done, remove the bellows pins and open the accordion.

That should not be done without knowing what you are doing. First pulling the pins without scratching either them or the accordion body is not trivial without proper tools. Second you must carefully keep track of which pin you pulled where and put them back in again exactly where they were before: the common accordion maker remedy for loose pins is to replace them with a pin of very slightly larger diameter (if the pins are even the same to start with), so in order not to get newly loose pins or accidentally widen existing holes more than necessary, every pin must go back into the same hole it came from.

I am actually glad that my main instrument does not even have bellows pins.

 

[Carroll Dexter]

Jerry, That sounds like a good way to rid your home of unwanted guests!!

 

[JerryPH]

Jerry, That sounds like a good way to rid your home of unwanted guests!!

For sure, but it also will get you most of the info needed to answer the questions most potential purchasers will ask.

 

[Carroll Dexter]

Thanks everyone, I will list it for sale in a little while and perform those tests soon.

 

[Tom]

Good luck Carroll, your pictures look good! I hope you have good success with your sale. Jerry’s suggestions are really good, it’s important for the prospective buyer to be able to see the reed condition and know if all notes work.

People often use a “pincer” tool like this to get the pins out (but smaller than the one I show). You can put some tape over the sharp part to help not scratch the surface. If you are not familiar with this type of operation, maybe ask a friend for help.


I would also suggest a clearer picture of the logo. I think it says “Handcrafted,” but people will want to see it.

Also, it’s important to state that there are no musty, moldy or otherwise nasty smells in the accordion or case. Mainly, just be honest.

Anyway, just my two cents, your own judgement will be good.

Good luck!

 

[Ben-jammin]

Also, if there is anything I can do to check the functionality of my accordion by myself, short of finding an accordion player to play it (I'm working on that too), please let me know. My father-in-law bought it a few years ago from a friend of his to give to my kids so they could learn to play (but that never happened). I am sure it works fine unless there is something that might go out on it by sitting in its case for a couple years. It makes nice loud accordion sounds when I open and close it but it is all noise to me since I don't know how to play.

Accordions have soft components that degrade with time. They can dry out if in overly dry environment and develop mildew and metal parts can rust in overly damp conditions. Also if stored in the wrong orientation the valves can sag and not work as well. I consider an accordion that’s been long term stored a bigger gamble than one that’s been occasionally gently played.

Jerry gives good instructions on testing an accordion. I would also comment that not everyone has the same ear training to recognize different degrees of in or out of pitch. Even what is acceptable between two different accordionist. At best you will be able to say “it sounds in tune to me”. Which may make you more comfortable asking for a higher price which may or may not necessarily make a buyer more comfortable.

The other thing to listen for is how smooth and stable the reeds sound and feel for how much air is required to make them each sound. It should be pretty uniform.

To me the two best things that could be done to alleviate my concerns on trying to buy an used instrument without testing it myself, would be a clean bill of health from a reputable shop or a high quality video of it being played by someone that knows what they are doing (slowly and at varying dynamics). Otherwise I consider it a big gamble.

Good luck with it.

 

[Carroll Dexter]

I don't have the technical skill to do the removing pins/opening baffles part so I am going to pass on that part but I will check all the keys and the buttons and see if it sounds in tune (actually, my wife will listen and advise me since she was a music minor in college). It is a beautiful accordion that really looks like new so I would rather not do anything that could possibly damage it.

 

[Tom]

It is beautiful and a super nice accordion for strolling or for a smaller person. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone on this forum snatches it up. Fortunately, although important, reed wax and leather condition is not as important as if you were selling a $5000 instrument. Either way, it would be a nice restoration project for someone.

 

[Carroll Dexter]

Good luck Carroll, your pictures look good! I hope you have good success with your sale. Jerry’s suggestions are really good, it’s important for the prospective buyer to be able to see the reed condition and know if all notes work.

People often use a “pincer” tool like this to get the pins out (but smaller than the one I show). You can put some tape over the sharp part to help not scratch the surface. If you are not familiar with this type of operation, maybe ask a friend for help.


I would also suggest a clearer picture of the logo. I think it says “Handcrafted,” but people will want to see it.

Also, it’s important to state that there are no musty, moldy or otherwise nasty smells in the accordion or case. Mainly, just be honest.

Anyway, just my two cents, your own judgement will be good.

Good luck!

I added a close-up of the "Handcrafted" emblem to the pictures

 

[JKJ]

if there is anything I can do to check the functionality of my accordion by myself, short of finding an accordion player to play it (I'm working on that too), please let me know

Besides some things already mentioned…
When I got my older accordion among other things an experienced repair person did many things, only some which required opening the box:

- Looked for obvious external damage.
- Smelled the accordion, seeing if he could detect mold/mildew from being stored in a damp place.
- Shook it to see if anything was loose inside.
- Pushed all the register switches to see if anything was sticking.
- Pressed each key on the piano keyboard to check for expected response.
- Pushed and pulled on the bellows without playing any notes, to check for air leaks.
- Played every key and button while both pushing and pulling on the bellows - repeated for every position of the register switches, to see if all reads responded and how good/bad they were.
- Removed the pins to remove the bellows, removed the grill, looked for insect damage e.g. if moths had discovered the felt, condition of leathers, condition of reeds (rusty?), condition of wax around reed plates.

There was probably more but I forget - as brand new to accordions all the tests were new to me.
If you can’t find a qualified repair person useful web site to read is

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JKJ